These No Bake Peanut Butter Bars are quickly put together and just as quickly eaten. These can go on a picnic or serve as dessert for an outdoor dinner. If you love peanut butter cups these are a bigger, better version. These No Bake Peanut Butter Bars fall into the ridiculously easy category and are great for something to do with the kids department.
I will be demonstrating these Thursday, June 2nd on KMOV-TV's Great Day St. Louis at 9:00 a.m.
Chocolate Crumb Crust1 ⅓ cups graham cracker crumbs* (170 grams or 6 ounces)
¼ cup cocoa (25 grams or 1 scant ounce)
½ cup unsifted powdered sugar (55 grams or 2 ounces)
1 stick unsalted butter, melted (114 grams or 4 ounces)
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*Buy them in crumbs or run crackers through food processor
Combine the crumbs, cocoa and powdered sugar in a bowl. Mix very well. Pour butter over and mix with a fork until completely combined.
Line an 8x8 inch pan with parchment papert. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the shell. Set aside.
Peanut Butter Filling
1 ½ cups cream peanut butter (340 grams or 12 ounces)
½ cup (1 stick) butter, very, very soft but not runny (114 grams or 4 ounces)
1 pound powdered sugar (454 grams
2 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup 40% or heavy cream
Combine all of the ingredients in the bowl of a mixer. Beat until well combined. Spread over the chocolate crust. Set aside.
Chocolate Topping12 ounces semisweet chocolate (225 grams)
¼ cup Crisco or like shortening (Do not use butter or oil)
Place in a small bowl and microwave at half power for about 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. If it won't smooth out, microwave at half power for 5 to 10 seconds more. Wait for a minute and then stir again. If using a whisk, be gentle to avoid air bubbles.
Pour over the peanut butter filling. Rotate the pan to evenly cover the filling. Chill until completely set.
Release by turning upside down on a board. Use a hair blower set on high to heat the edges of the pan until it drops out. Remove the paper. Turn it right side up.
Cut 5 across, 1 ½" and three down, 2 ⅔ inches. You can also cut these bars in half for smaller treats. For perfect cuts, run the knife under really hot water, wipe it quickly and melt down through the top layer with steady pressure, then cut straight down. Re-heat the knife for each cut.
Note: If it is very warm, you may want to refrigerate these if they soften too much.
Yield: 15 bars or 30 half size treats.
Hillary says
Just made these this weekend. Very rich. The warm knife trick really helped. I am taking them to my family party tonight - will see how people react!
hfletcher says
They are that. I suggest cutting them in half - people can always take two.
Happy Baking says
I was wondering if the type of peanut butter used made a difference? For example, all natural peanut butter naturally separates. Is that a problem?
hfletcher says
If the peanut butter separates, I would not use it. But I have not made it with anything other than either Jif or Peter Pan.
Deborah says
Hi, Helen, I just found your blog by way of Pat at Back Porch Musings. Your talents are amazing! I will be returning many times. Thank you, and best wishes for continued success.
hfletcher says
Hi Deborah - Thank you so much for your kind words. So happy to have you join us.
Cheryl Ann says
Thank you so much Helen. I live in Thompsons Station TN, just outside of Nashville and am always looking for something good to bring to our neighborhood dinners. This will be very popular!
hfletcher says
Hi Cheryl - I love the name of your town. It conjures up thoughts of when trains were king and ran through every big and little city and town. Glad you like the bars - I can't believe how popular they are.
Jackie says
I only wish you had a print version of this so I didn't have to type it in order to save it. Sounds great - I'll be trying it very soon.
hfletcher says
Hi Jackie: There is a print version. Go to the bottom of the recipe - in this case the last photo. There is a print button. Click on that. To remove the images so you don't have a 20 page recipe - go to the top of that page and it says "remove images". Click on that and print.
Hope this helps.
Jackie says
OMG - I can't believe I missed that. I have a feeling I will be using it to print a lot of your recipes. Thank you for your help. Love seeing you on TV.
hfletcher says
You're welcome. Don't feel bad - people miss it. Or the next questions is "How do I get rid of all the pictures".
hfletcher says
Don't feel bad Jackie. People miss it. When they get there I often get another text saying, "How do I get rid of the pictures?" Glad you like the blog. Love being on TV!
kim says
Thank you for the recipe. This looks like a great summer treat!
Alison Wiebe says
I found a recipe for Peanut Butter Bars online last year, and no matter what I did, the topping broke and so did the base. What a mess!
Looking at your recipe here, I can see why. Both the topping and the base were only melted chocolate. No Graham crumbs, no Crisco. Hah! No wonder it was a fail! Yours look much nicer and I will most certainly be making your version.
Thank you for all the great baking tips and recipes. You have saved me from disaster a few times now.
hfletcher says
Hi Alison - I am so happy to have been of help. I took saw a version of these on the internet and they had used a thin coat of plain chocolate. Not attractive when cut. Do look at the extended instructions for cutting so you can have perfect bars also.
Alison Wiebe says
I did see that, thanks, and have used that method in the past with others items, but with the hot knife did not work for that recipe from last year. I am positive that this is the recipe that I need.
Mary E Coyle says
Helen, I've made these in the past for cookie exchanges. They really are wonderful!
hfletcher says
Hi Mary - try this version next time - the pb filling is amazing...literally melts in your mouth.
ellen graves says
OH these look soooo good. We have a friend who'd think he was in paradise if we made these for him! And if you make the half size ones you can even feel virtuous (??!) as you eat one. As soon as I have time I'll try them, I know they'll be delicious.
hfletcher says
Hi Ellen: Bet you can't stop at one half size piece!!
Manisha says
It looks delicious!!! Sometimes it is so difficult to believe that something so simple can be so good. I loved the perfectly cut slices.
hfletcher says
Hi Manisha: I agree that sometimes we are deceived into thinking baking has to be difficult to be good. Thank you for mentioning the slices. I went back and expanded on how to get those. Hope all is going well in your part of the world.
Manisha says
Yes Helen all is going very well. We are all set for a small holiday to our neighbouring country.